Glossary Of Terms For Small Hoteliers

GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR SMALL HOTELIERS Like other industries, there is both language and terminology unique to the tourism/hospitality business. Experienced operators, readers, investors and lenders in particular use this language and having definitions will be helpful to the new hotelier. With that in mind, we have provided a glossary of commonly used terms for the small hotelier. This is not the definitive source. There are other sources and you are encouraged to refer to those as well. The following definitions were compiled from various sources by the OAS project team and provided as a reference to small hoteliers in 1998 in countries participating in the OAS project. They are reproduced here as a service to other small hoteliers in the region. Comments and suggested additions are most welcome. We hope to improve on the usefulness of this glossary over time for you, the Caribbean small hotelier.

All Inclusive A variation of the packaging marketing concept in which visitors pay one price for everything they expect to enjoy during their vacation, without restriction as to extent of usage. Pre-paid before departure from point of origin, travel agents are particularly enthusiastic about "all inclusive" due to the significant commissions the package price generates for the same effort as other less lucrative sales. Amenities Supplementary features: Retail outlets, recreation. Often mistaken for Facilities

American Plan (AP) A type of room rate which includes the price of the room, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also known as full pension. Amortization Term used for the allocation of loan costs (principal, interest and taxes), calculated over the life(term) of a loan. Calculated using a specialized Amortization schedule.

Apartment hotel Accommodation in apartment style units rather than rooms: with minimum or expanded in-suite cooking facilities. Defined by legislation for licensing and classification purposes. May provide meals and alcoholic beverages in an on site restaurant/bar complex separate from the accommodation building(s), through inhouse staff or outside food and beverage contractor. Available rooms (suites, beds) The number of these normally available on a day to day basis, LESS those permanently used for some purpose other than guest occupancy

Average Room Rate(ARR)

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The total of room revenues for a given period (day, month to date, month, year to date), divided by the number of rooms occupied for the same period. Frequently used as a measure of economic performance.

Back of House Areas confined to staff traffic. Not accessible to hotel guests. Bed and Breakfast(B&B) A type of room rate which includes the price of the room and breakfast. Also known as Continental Plan

Central Reservations' System(CRS) The ability of guests to make a reservation for one of a number of hotels by contacting one only agency contracted by hotels acting as a group, to operate this "central" reservations' service. Charter flight A flight booked for the exclusive use of a specific group or groups of visitors, or who are traveling on a tour charter programme. Charters are less expensive than scheduled air services, operate under legislation and are carried out by scheduled or airlines which specialize in this service. City Ledger A caption used for all operating (trade) accounts receivable other than current guest accounts, including those for departed guests and local persons. Complimentary room An occupied guest room for which no price is charged. This may include a room occupied by a hotel employee. The "Available rooms" complement would be reduced by these ONLY where complimentary occupancy is permanent.

Day Rate A reduced room rate granted for the use of a guest room during the daytime - not overnight occupancy. Specific examples are use by someone as a display room or office, and late check outs (due to transportation connections). Double (room) occupancy, rate or percentage of The percentage of rooms occupied by more than one person. Computed as: total number of guests minus room occupied, divided by rooms occupied and expressed as a ratio or percentage. Facilities Core physical features: accommodation, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms Familiarisation tour (Fam. Trip) Also known a familiarization trip, this is an educational programme to a destination community and/or resort property for inspection of facilities, amenities and services. Usually targeted to the travel trade, personnel of major transportation carriers, trips/tours are sponsored by airlines, tour operators, community tourism boards and hotel associations. Full house A hotel with all guest rooms occupied

Guest account An itemised record of a guest's charges and credits, which is maintained in the front office until departure. Also referred to as a guest bill, guest folio and guest statement. Guest amenities Not to be confused with "amenities", this is the term given to

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a range of disposable items provided in guest room bathrooms and include items such as shampoos, skin creams, conditioners, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower caps the cost of which is built into room rates. Guest check The invoice presented to restaurant and bar patrons for food and beverage consumed. Also referred to as a waiter's check or restaurant check. Guest history A record maintained for each guest who has stayed at the hotel with a separate entry for each visit and details of pertinent preferences. Used as a valuable reference by reservations, marketing and credit departments, guest history is now available through computerisation.

High(Peak) season That period of consecutive months during which optimum revenues, room/suite occupancy and average room rates are generated. In the Caribbean this is generally December through April. Hotel Minimum number of available rooms, services and amenities usually defined by legislation for licensing and classification purposes as well as eligibility for fiscal incentives in some jurisdictions. May provide food and beverage services on site but not always within the accommodation building(s): usually by in-house staff but occasionally through an outside food and beverage contractor. May or not provide a range of recreation and other amenities on site or by arrangement with others off site. Includes motor hotel, resort hotel or resort, commercial hotel. Hotel Representative An individual or firm whose responsibility is to facilitate market accessibility to the hotel property by the travel trade. House A synonym for "hotel" commonly used within the industry. Examples of usage include: house count, house income, house charge Housekeeper's report A report prepared each morning by the housekeeping department based on an inspection of each guest room by the room attendants (maids) to indicate whether a guest room was occupied or vacant the previous night. This is then used to reconcile with front office records for revenue control and also serves as a check on the physical condition of each room for R&M purposes.

Low (off peak) season Those consecutive months during which the lowest revenues, room/suite occupancy and average room rates are generated. In the Caribbean this is generally July and August.

Mini bar A specially designed small floor mounted refridgerator containing a variety of beverages and snacks located in guest rooms, with individual guest room key access. Acts as a more credible and profitable substitute for room service. Modified American Plan(MAP) A type of room rate which includes the price of the room, breakfast and EITHER lunch or dinner. Also known as half pension. Motel Overnight accommodation originally targeted to automobile travellers, and therefore situated at roadside. A more contemporary definition would be the provision of accommodation only, with no other amenities and services provided by the motel. 3

Occupancy, percentage of (Occ. %) The percentage of available rooms occupied for a given period of consecutive time. It is calculated by dividing the number of rooms occupied for a period by the number of rooms available for the same period, expressed as a percentage. Overbooking The name given to a situation in which more room reservations have been taken by a hotel than what the hotel can accommodate. Hotels which use overbooking as a policy are increasingly being targeted by tour wholesalers and operators in an attempt to better control and minimise the serious adverse marketing effects which overbooking has for all stakeholders.

Point of Sale (POS) Electronic or micro chip based equipment used to record guest revenue and generate a range of sales, control, accounting and management reports. Pre-register To register room guests before they physically check into the hotel. This is done as a service to important guests and those designated VIP, and to reduce delays and confusion at the front office and lobby area for group arrivals, particularly when groups are expected to arrive at about the same time. Rack Rate The full, undiscounted room rate (price) which is published. Registration card (Reg. Card) A form on which arriving guests record their names, addresses and other details including mode of transportation used, nationality, purpose of visit (usually business or pleasure), method of payment, length of stay confirmation. A space is also provided for signature. Additional questions may be included as a part of the hotel's market research information. The attending front office clerk then completes detail on room rate and room number. Some form of guest registration is usually required by legislation in most countries. Resort Hotel A hotel that caters mainly to vacationers or tourist, usually offering more recreational amenities and services in a more aesthetically pleasing setting than other hotels. Room block A predetermined number of rooms reserved in advance for group (conference, tour) use. Safety deposit boxes Individual boxes provided for the safekeeping of guest valuables. Located either in a central, secure and supervised location or in individual guest rooms. Shoulder seasons Those periods between high and low: the months of May, June, September, October and November Timeshare A marketing and equity financing concept which permits participants to enjoy vacation accommodation for a fixed, one time amount for life, or shorter contracted period. Turndown service A service provided by housekeeping in which a room is refreshed and bed linen turned down for sleeping. A service normally provided during the early evening hours when guests are not in their rooms. Wake up call A call made by front office, usually by telephone, to a guest room, at

the time requested by a room guest to be Walk In A guest who checks-in without an advance reservation

wakened

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